Recent articles

Politics

WASHINGTON >> Former technology executive Carly Fiorina says she is more than 90 percent likely to seek the Republican presidential nomination. and she is questioning the confidence people can have in likely Democratic contender Hillary Rodham Clinton.On “Fox News Sunday,” Fiorina challenged several Clinton comments, including saying she used a personal email account for State Department work because it would be easier to carry one device than two. She said such...

The Associated Press

Box office receipts

NEW YORK >> Business was brisk at the weekend box-office, where the DreamWorks animated alien adventure “Home” beat out the Will Ferrell-Kevin Hart comedy “Get Hard” with a resounding debut of $54 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.While the two films had been expected to vie for the top spot at North American theaters, “Home” came in well above expectations, handing DreamWorks Animation a much-needed hit. Though a distant...

By Jake Coyle
The Associated Press

Nation and World

NEWARK, N.J. >> First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated the beauty, power and tenacity of black women while spreading her own message of education for girls at Black Girls Rock!, an annual event honoring trailblazing women of color from all walks of life.“No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, you are beautiful,” Obama told the crowd, which included many young black girls.“I am so proud of you. My husband, your president, is so proud of...

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody
The Associated Press

Rail accidents

The USC film student in a Hyundai that was struck by a Metro Expo Line train near campus Saturday after he turned his vehicle onto the tracks remained in critical condition Sunday morning while the train’s operator was released from the hospital Saturday, authorities said.Full service was restored on the Expo Line tracks Sunday morning.The collision...

War and unrest

BEIRUT >> A new video released by the Islamic State group on Sunday shows its fighters cutting off the heads of eight men said to be Shiite Muslims. The video posted on social media said the men were beheaded in the central Syrian province of Hama.The video could not be immediately independently verified, but it appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting of the events. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that the video was...

The Associated Press

News

WASHINGTON >> A Houston housewife who has quietly collected rare Civil War images for 50 years has sold more than 500 early photographs to the Library of Congress.The library announced the acquisition Sunday and is placing the first 77 images online. On Friday, 87-year-old Robin Stanford delivered the historic stereograph images from her collection to the library.Some scenes offer a rare glimpse of slave life in the South from images made by Confederate photographers.

By Brett Zongker
The Associated Press

Religion & Worship

Christians around the world are marking Palm Sunday by waving fronds, attending church services and visiting sites in the Holy Land at the start of the Holy Week that ends with Easter.Crowds of faithful gathered in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Many waved the fronds to symbolize how worshippers greeted Jesus over 2,000 years ago as he triumphantly returned to Jerusalem.Later in the day,...

The Associated Press

Plane crashes

MONTABAUR, Germany >> The pastor of the Lutheran church in Andreas Lubitz’s hometown said Sunday that the community stands by him and his family, despite the fact that prosecutors blame the 27-year-old co-pilot for causing the plane crash that killed 150 people in southern France.The town of Montabaur has been rattled by the revelation that Lubitz, who first learned to fly at a nearby glider club, may have intentionally caused Tuesday’s crash of Germanwings Flight...

By Dorothee Thiesing
The Associated Press

War and unrest

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt >> A two-day Arab summit ended Sunday with a vow to defeat Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen and the formal unveiling of plans to form a joint Arab intervention force, setting the stage for a potentially dangerous clash between U.S.-allied Arab states and Tehran over influence in the region.Arab leaders taking turns to address the gathering spoke repeatedly of the threat posed to the region’s Arab identity by what they called moves by...

By Hamza Hendawi
The Associated Press

International relations

LAUSANNE, Switzerland >> Iran is considering demands for further cuts to its uranium enrichment program but is pushing back on how long it must limit technology it could use to make atomic arms, Western officials involved in the nuclear talks said Sunday.Iran’s potential movement on enrichment reflected the intense pressure to close a deal. But substantial differences between the sides may prove too difficult to bridge before Tuesday’s deadline for a preliminary...